Zay vs Bae
by hoffkk
Summary: Lucas is faced with a tough decision when Riley gives him an ultimatum and must decide what is more important to him…his best friend or his girlfriend.


Riley and Lucas were getting ready to eat dinner with the gang at Topanga's. It was after closing, but Riley's parents kept the place open later so they could have their own friends-giving together. After all, they were graduating in just a few months, and after that who knew how many times the gang would be able to all get together again?

Riley and Lucas were the only ones there so far. They came early to set the table and get things ready. They were setting out the plates, napkins, and silverware on the round table clad in a autumn-colored linen table cloth when Lucas spoke up.

"So...you've been pretty quiet today." Lucas noted.

"Have I?" Riley asked, knowing full well that she had been. Partly because she had been busy preparing for their dinner, but partly because she had been busy thinking. She overheard Lucas and Zay talking about Texas last night, specifically, about Lucas's last day in Texas due to a certain fight he got into on Zay's behalf. Riley could only make out a few words, but she could have sworn that she heard Lucas say something along the lines of "It'll be our little secret." Then, when she tried to ask Lucas about it all nonchalantly, he just brushed her off. She tried to let it go, but she couldn't. She just couldn't stand the idea that he may be keeping secrets from her. I mean, they were a couple, and couples were supposed to be honest with each other, right? Maybe , if she tried talking to him again...

"Yeah, you have. Is everything okay?" Lucas asked her straight out.

"Everything's fine." Riley assured. "It's just... I have been wondering about something."

"Wondering about what?" He probed further, laying out forks on the left side of the plates and spoons and knives on the right.

"About why exactly you were kicked out of your old school in Texas." Riley answered honestly, hoping for some answers about the supposed secret.

Lucas gave her a weird look before replying. "What do you mean? I've already told you what happened."

"Not really." Riley argued. "I mean, you told me that you were getting Zay out of trouble with a bully and got carried away, but you never said what exactly went down or why you got so carried away."

"No, I didn't." Lucas agreed, avoiding eye contact by fiddling with the silverware.

"So..." She responded. "tell me now."

"There's nothing really to tell." Lucas hedged.

"If there was nothing to tell, it wouldn't have ended with you being kicked out of school." Riley retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, it was a moment, it happened, and now it's over." Lucas summed up vaguely. "Can't we just leave it at that?"

"Can't you just tell me the truth?" Riley tossed back, getting a little angry now.

"Why? Why are you all of a sudden so interested in the details?" He asked.

"Because I just am." She answered lamely. "Why are you all of a sudden so reluctant to share the details?" She added.

"I just am." He replied, tossing her words back at her.

"So, that's it?" Riley questioned, completely peeved. "You're just not going to tell me what all went down?"

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Does it matter?" He inquired, looking back into her eyes deeply and apologetically. He hated fighting with Riley... almost as much as he hated lying to her, but he made a promise to a friend that he had to keep.

"Of course, it matters." She nearly spat.

"Why?" He wondered aloud, honestly not understanding why this was such a big deal to her.

"Because..." She started to explain. "if you can't tell me what happened, that means you're keeping something from me, and if you're keeping something from me, that means you're not being honest with me, and if you're not being honest with me, then...then..." Riley struggled a moment to get the words out, but she knew it had to be said. She had to make him understand. "then I don't think I can trust you, and if I can't trust you, Lucas...then I can't date you anymore."

"What are you saying?" Lucas asked slowly and quietly, already knowing the answer but hoping to be wrong.

"I'm saying that if you don't tell me the truth right now... we're done." Riley said seriously, her heart breaking in the process.

Meanwhile, Lucas's heart nearly stopped, hearing that ultimatum. He loved Riley, but Zay had been his best friend since pre-K. He couldn't just break that trust between bros that they had built over the years. With that thought, Lucas knew what he had to do. He had to break up with Riley. He hated himself for it, but there was nothing else he could do.

"Well, I... I guess were done then." Lucas spoke seriously, hating every word.

"STOP." A voice all but yelled, interrupting their break-up.

Lucas and Riley's heads immediately snapped toward the front door of Topanga's, finding Zay standing there worriedly, holding a bottle of sparkling grape juice in each hand, one red, one white. He came a bit early to bring the drinks and caught the last part of their conversation. He couldn't believe Lucas would actually break-up with Riley, his dream girl, just to keep his secret. He really was a good friend, and now it was Zay's turn to be. He couldn't let Lucas go through with this, not because of him.

"Tell her." He said, looking directly at Lucas as he moved toward the table.

"What?" Lucas questioned, shocked at his friend's command.

"Tell her, Lucas." Zay repeated, stopping next to his friend.

"Are you sure your ready for this?" Lucas queried.

"I don't know," Zay admitted, setting the bottles on the table in front of him. "but I do know that I'm not gonna be the reason why the greatest couple in our high school, and probably all of New York City, broke up. That would be selfish of me and unfair to the both of you. So, go on... tell her." He finished with a nod in Riley's direction.

"I think it would be better if you did." Lucas noted.

"You sure? 'Cause if.-" Zay began but didn't get to finish.

"For the love! Tell me what? What happened that day?" Riley said, wanting to know so badly what hidden truth was making things so difficult for everyone.

"I'm gay." Zay said suddenly.

"Wait...what?" Riley asked, caught off guard by the admission.

"I'm gay, Riley." Zay said again. "You see, that day way back when... I was young and still figuring things out, but I knew I was attracted to guys. Anyway, I liked this one kid, Bryson. He was captain of our junior high football team, and I was staring at his poster in the hallway, all the important players had one, it was a cool action shot, but anyhow, I was sort of checking him out in the photo and made a comment out loud to myself. Some jerk overheard me and called me out on being a "fairy" as he so eloquently put it. He backed me into a corner and called me more names, telling me that freaks like me are an abomination to society and didn't deserve to breathe the same air, among other hateful things. He shoved me a few times and was about to go in for a punch when-"

"When I came in." Lucas finished. "I was in class, waiting for Zay and when he didn't show up right away, I decided to go check on him. I found him in the hallway about to get the life knocked out of him by some kid in the grade above us when the kid gave me a rundown of what was going on, thinking I'd be on his side. He thought wrong. So, I shoved the guy and went off on him and suddenly all I saw was red."

"You mean the blood? You broke his nose good!" Zay commented.

"No, I meant from my anger." Lucas amended. "But yes, I did make him bleed." He added, looking to Riley who stood their wide-eyed. "I bruised him up pretty well to, and well... the school had a zero tolerance policy for violence, and... I think you can figure out the rest."

"Wow." Riley said. "That's quite the story, but why didn't you ever tell any of us before?"

"That was my fault." Zay answered. "Lucas told me I should come clean, but I was worried about how you guys would react. I didn't want you to treat me differently. I mean, I may be gay, but I'm still the same old Zay."

"Of course you are." Riley agreed, placing a hand on Zay's shoulder. "And I wouldn't have you any other way." She smiled. "You're my friend, and I love you, no matter who you love, and I know the others would feel the same way."

"Thanks , Riley." Zay said, returning her smile, then giving her a tight hug. It was good to know that he really could be his true self in front of his friends.

Pulling out of the hug, Riley looked back at Zay and said, "I won't say anything to the others until you do, but I think you should tell them soon. Maybe tonight?" She asked hopefully.

"Maybe." Zay smirked. "And thanks. Well, I better get these babies on ice." Zay commented, taking the bottles of grape juice to the back room to put them in a bucket of ice, purposely giving his friends a minute alone.

"So..." Lucas said.

"So..." Riley said. "I guess I understand now. Why you were so secretive about the situation. You were protecting Zay."

"Yes, I was." Lucas replied. "I really _really_ didn't want to lie to you, but it wasn't my secret to tell."

"I get it." Riley assured him.

"But," Lucas went on. "since we're being honest, that wasn't the only reason I didn't want to tell you the truth."

"Oh..." Riley said, sounding a little disappointed.

"I was also afraid of what you might think of me." Lucas admitted.

"What do you mean?" Riley queried, confusion evident on her face.

Lucas took a breath before answering. "I am so ashamed of what I did, Riley. I handled the situation all wrong, and I got so violent so quickly... I guess I thought you might hate me or become afraid of me or something if you knew the truth. I just... I didn't want you to think less of me."

"I don't think less of you, Lucas." She reassured him, grabbing his hands for emphasis and threading her fingers through his. "In fact, now that I know the truth, I think _more_ of you."

"But... I don't understand. I acted like a psycho." Lucas stated.

"No. You acted like a concern friend who's emotions got the better of him." Riley told him. "Yes, maybe you took things too far, but you were protecting your friend, and that is something that I could never be mad at you for."

Lucas just smiled brightly at her as he took in how truly amazing she actually was. She was always able to see the good in people, apparently even him during his weakest moments. However, he wasn't sure where this left them. We're they still a couple or...?

"So, are we okay?" Lucas inquired as they stood face to face, hands weaved together down at their sides, hoping more than anything that they were.

"Yeah," Riley smiled. "We're good."

Lucas grinned boyishly for half of a second before planting a soft kiss on Riley's lips.

"I love you, Riley." Lucas said after a moment.

"I love you, too." She replied back.

"I love you, too!" Zay's voice interjected as he threw his arms around the happy couple.

Lucas rolled his eyes and Riley giggled then eyed Zay before saying, "Hey, back off! He's _mine_!"

They all burst out laughing and smiled at one another, happy that the truth was finally out and that they could joke about it now.

"What's so funny?" A familiar voice asked, breaking through the revelry.

They turned to see Maya quirking a brow at them as she entered through the front door with Farkle and Smackle trailing behind.

"Oh, nothing..." Riley trailed off, sharing a knowing smile with the boys beside her.

"Keeping secrets are we?" The ever observant Farkle chimed in.

"Don't worry." Riley said. "You'll find out soon enough." She finished, winking at Zay who just smiled and nodded.

Zay ended up telling the rest of the gang the truth after they ate dinner, and they all gave him their full support.

It was kind of funny. Zay had always thought that the day that he was bullied and got Lucas kicked out of school was one of the worst days of his life, but it turned out to be actually one of the best. It was the first domino, leading to this moment right here with his new group of friends in New York. He relished this fact, thankful for the way things ended up working out, knowing wholeheartedly that he wouldn't change the past even if he could. The truth was he loved his new home, his new friends, and most importantly (after a long inner-struggle) himself.


End file.
